Theater Spotlight of the Week: Joey Folsom

by Shawn Parikh

I had mentioned earlier this week how the new theater company, Sundown Collaborative Theatre, was gearing up to present the provocative piece, A Clockwork Orange. So naturally, I feature the director, Joey Folsom, who also happens to be the founder of the company as well as Co-Artistic Director.

We start off by discussing the founding of Sundown and what he wanted to achieve when forming the group. He talks about its niche in the DFW theatre scene and what kind of works they strive to create. Since it is their first full season, he talks about what the audience repsonse has been so far.

I ask how A Clockwork Orange was chosen and the challenge of adapting this classic book to the stage, especially with characters talking in an original language, Nadsat. He differentiates between the film version and the stage version and what writer, Anthony Burgess, wanted to get out of the piece. Folsom then elaborates on what he wants the audience to walk away thinking or talking about, and even relates it to the upcoming election.

We end the interview by talking about the future of the theater company and the bold pieces they have yet to perform in this season.

A Clockwork Orange is the story of Alex and his teenage gang, "The Droogs", their life of rape and murder, and "ultraviolence", and the moral dilemma that arises when Alex is brainwashed into good-citizenship. The production runs from October 23-31 with a special midnight show on October 30.